POLICY 05:20:00

INVENTORY METHODS FOR TBR LIBRARIES

This policy is consistent with Tennessee Board of Regents Policy No. 4:05:01:01.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish Tennessee Board of Regents policy regarding inventory
methods for libraries in the TBR System.

Policy

Inventory Method
1. In the Tennessee Board of Regents libraries, collections vary significantly in size
  and in the type of material contained; consequently, the mandate of a specific or
  uniform inventory method for all of the libraries to follow is not appropriate. The
  cost of conducting a systematic inventory of book stock and other library
  materials is also an important management consideration in TBR libraries.
  1. A full or partial inventory or census may be conducted annually to meet
    TBR requirements for materials accountability, and to meet the guidelines
    of internal accounting and administrative control that are cited in the
    Financial Integrity Act (T.C.A. § 9-18-102).
  2. If a TBR library chooses to do an inventory, one of the two following
    methods should be used:
    1. A partial inventory that covers the entire collection over a two to
      five-year period; or
    2. An annual or biennial book census using a reliable sampling
      technique derived from an authoritative statistics textbook that
      explains how to do standard deviation calculations.
  3. In order to meet the guidelines of internal accounting and administrative
    control that are cited in the Financial Integrity Act, TBR libraries not
    choosing to do an inventory must annually report to their institutions the
    numbers of library materials withdrawn from their collections.

Sources: TBR Policy 04:05:01:01; T.C.A. §§ 49-8-203, 9-18-102

Revised by TBR June 30, 1989
Revised by TBR April 2, 2004
Revised by TBR September 28, 2007
Reviewed/Recommended: President’s Council, November 27, 2023
Approved: President L. Anthony Wise, Jr., November 27, 2023